Monster Within
by Swamp Fairy
Summary: A monster? A woman? Lena doesn't quite know what she is, and no one else does, either. In her struggle to find love and humanity, she might tear others apart. Lena, Fred, and Daphne POVs. Lena-Fred and Fraphne. Takes place during Zombie Island.
1. Chapter 1

**Lena's point of view on Zombie Island. Because she was awesome. And the only thing possibly cooler than her were-cat thing is Jacob Black's werewolf thing. Anyways. Read on!!!!**

If she stared long enough in the mirror, she could almost believe she was normal. Because the mirror couldn't lie, could it? The mirror couldn't fake the long, black hair or the small mouth or the soft human skin, could it? It couldn't show her as something she wasn't... could it?

Apparently it could. Because as soon as she looked away from the mirror, she felt it again. The hunger, raging deep inside her, and she knew how fake this mask was. As good as it looked, it was only a mask now, nothing more. She could talk, walk, dress, but she couldn't lie to herself, and she knew what she truly was. A beast. A monster, longing to be unlocked for good.

She wondered if, maybe, the human was still somewhere inside her. It had to be, didn't it, if she wanted to be human? But where? And how could two such extremes exist in one body? The monster, desperate to eat. The human, longing to love. She could barely remember that feeling now, it had been so many years. The sudden warmth, a flutter of the heart, a loss of breath. That was gone now. Around Jacques, she felt an air of mild friendship. Around Simone, she felt undying devotion. Around Fred... she felt... alive.

Fred. Going to be their next victim. She had lured him here, because he and his friends were perfect. And because, even before having spoken to him, she could almost imagine her heart beating again. Beating for him. And she had wondered, just maybe, if it was possible...

Every time he smiled at her or touched her lightly, she forgot, just for a second, to pretend to breath. And when she remembered, it came in a start, alomst involuntary. Just like it had been when she was still simply human, still simply her. She missed that, being simply her. She didn't know if the cat person was her, or if it was just some demon possessing her. Was she thinking through its brain? Through her own? Were they one and the same? And had the cat always been lurking in her, just pulled out by her prayer?

She knew she would never know, but she couldn't help but wonder. Wondering was all there was to do, anyways, when she lay in her bed, staring up at the ceiling, praying for sleep that she knew could never come again. Instead of dreams every night, memories claimed her. She remembered the screams of the villagers, of her friends, as the crocodiles drew in. The laughter of the pirates. The burning, passionate hatred she had never felt before. Now she felt it all the time. Except around him. Around him, it was muted. Toned down. And it was like stepping out of a tiny, locked cramped room into a breath of fresh air.

As the full moon grew closer, the hunger grew worse. Her hunger for life. And her hunger for him. If she wanted to have him by force, she could. She knew that. She could use magic, or just simply seduce him. But she didn't want that. What she really wanted was for him to love her because of who she was. Love her because he couldn't help it. And she knew how unfair her cravings were. But what she wanted more than to love was to be loved.

That little red-head didn't even know how good she had it. Daphne, that was her name. Daphne. Daphne ignored Fred. She was blind. She didn't know how much he wanted her... or worse, she did know, but wouldn't acknowledge it. Because he wasn't good enough for her. While in reality, she was the worthless one.

Lena almost couldn't stand it, how Daphne just tossed him off. She had been doing a little background research and she knew how Fred had followed Daphne, stayed with her, even after the gang had split up. And still, Daphne wouldn't recognize how lucky she was. To have him.

Lena shrieked, lashing out at the lying mirror. Glass shards went flying, surrounding her. She sank down on the floor, head in her hands, crying. Crying for what she lost. Crying for what she knew she would never gain. She picked up a shard of glass, held it to her face. Her eye shone green in it, a bright green that wasn't quite human but not really cat, either. That's what she was. In between. And that's how it was always going to be.

Her door creaked open and Simone strode in. She stopped for a moment, surveying the room. Then she turned to Lena.

"Put yourself together," she said coldly. "I want this room clean before dinner."

As Simone walked back out, Lena hurried to obey her mistress. But she was crying to hard to see and kept dropping the shards, slashing her hand on them. But she couldn't give up. Simone had told her to do something and she was going to do it.

"Are you okay?" a kinder voice asked. Fred. She looked up, sniffing, and offered him a weak smile.

"Fine, thanks," she said, remembering her southern drawl just in time. But apparently her lie hadn't been convincing enough. Fred walked in and bent down next to her, taking her hand in his own and examining it. He frowned thoughtfully.

"Go to the kitchen and get that wrapped," he commanded. "I'll clean up the glass for you."

"Thanks," she said, smiling gratefully. She started up, but he didn't let her hand go yet. He pulled her back to him for an instant.

"It'll be okay," he said, smiling gently, wiping away her tears with his thumb. "We'll catch the bad guys."

And as she walked away, down to the kitchen, trying to contain the monster within, she almost hoped they did.

**Well. Not a long story, was it? It won't take you that much longer to review! Please! That little button is lonely! It needs you to click it!!!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I had planned on making this a one shot, but due to popular demand, here we are. Thanks to Damariscotta and Love of Velma who reviewed and wanted more :-) This is from Fred's point of view...**

Lena's cute. Pretty. Beautiful. Alright, alright. She's drop-dead gorgeous. And smart. And nice. And to top it off, she's an amazing cook. Shaggy and Scooby will testify to that, if they stop eating long enough! She seems open and inviting, but there's something closed off about her. Dark. Which I think is why I like her.

I mean, there's not any other reason I'm paying attention. It's not because of any even-prettier red-heads, that's for sure. Okay, maybe it is. Maybe I'm tired of Daphne taking me for granted. Maybe I want her to notice me. And maybe I would love to see her jealous. But that's not the point.

The point is that Lena is captivating, and intruiging, and maybe just a little bit dangerous. And I can't get her out of my head... at least when a certain purple-wearing girl isn't lurking there, taking my attention off everything else. But anyways. Lena. Yes. There's something... missing. Some spark of humanity. Life. It's hard to describe.

What I haven't admitted is that I H-A-T-E hate Daphne's show. I stayed with her, yes, but she's not the only one I care about. Velma and Shaggy and Scooby are like my family. But she was the one who broke us up. She said she was bored. It was repetitive, old, predictable. That we weren't enough for her. That I wasn't enough for her. That was the day I took a step back and saw her as a human, not an angel. And loved her all the more for it.

But Lena is the opposite from her. When Daphne is open, Lena is close-mouthed. When Lena laughs, Daphne scowls. When Daphne ignores me, Lena's there with a comforting, knowing smile. She has an amazing smile. The best I've ever seen. Except for maybe one other...

A scream echoes through the hall. I jump to my feet and race out the door. I know that scream. It's Lena. And as I enter her room, sure enough, she's crouched on the floor, gashes on her hand and shards of glass surrounding her.

"Are you okay?" I ask, concerned. She looks up, tears running down her nose. My stomach twists in sympathy for her.

"Fine, thanks," she says, but her voice cracks up at the end. She sniffs, wiping away a few tears. Avoiding the glass, I crouch down next to her and take her bloody hand.

"Go to the kitchen and get that wrapped," I command. "I'll clean up the glass for you."

"Thanks," she says, starting to stand. But before I even know what I'm doing, I pull her back down to me. Her eyes are deep, dark pools, burning and consuming. Tears still leak out of them, and as she looks at me, she starts crying harder.

"It'll be okay," I say softly, wiping away her tears. Her skin is soft, but it's... cold. "We'll catch the bad guys." She nods silently and leaves the room. As I move about, picking up the glass, I have to wonder.... 'We'll catch the bad guys.' But I have a feeling that this is more complicated than it appears, and as I think of Lena's thick, flowing hair and sweet southern drawl, I have to wonder if I really want to do what I promised.

As I throw away the last of the glass, Daphne strides into the room.

"What do you think you're playing at?" she hisses, bending down to my eye level. "There's something wrong about her. You know it and I know it, so I don't know what you think you're doing!"

"You know what I think I'm doing?" I ask, standing up so I'm taller than her. Anger burns through my body. Who does she think she is? "I think that I'm enjoying my time with someone who likes me, and appreciates me for who I am, not what I do!"

I march past her, but she grabs my arm. I turn back around, but something on her face makes me freeze. Anger still lingers there, but now sadness is the stronger emotion. My own fury dies, as well. I can never stay angry at her for long.

"Is that what you think I am?" she asks with a dry laugh. "Is that what you think I feel? That just shows how little you know about me!"

"Tell me, then," I whisper desperately. "Tell me how you do feel."

"I-" she starts, staring up at me with her big eyes. "I... I can't."

"Why?" I demand, angry again. "You won't talk to me, yet you expect me to know everything about you! How can I do that, when you won't let me get close?"

"It's not you," she says softly. "Never you. It's me."

And then she's crying too, crying even harder than Lena was. Almost unconsciously, I pull her into my arms, let her push her face into my chest. I close my eyes, smelling her hair and rubbing my hands up and down her shaking back. Red hair blurs into black, green eyes blur into brown, and soon, I don't remember if I'm holding Daphne or Lena. I guess that's how it's meant to be. Me, always, always caught in the middle.

**Thanks for reading! Now. You know what else you want to do? Review. I know you want to... you can barely restrain yourself... it's okay, go for it! Reviews=love. Next up is Daphne.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here we go, Daphne as promised. Sorry for the long wait, my muse took a leave of absence... a very looong leave...**

My thoughts have been chasing each other in circles the whole day, two words drumming through my mind, over and over and over. _Fred. Lena. Fred. Lena. Fred. Lena._ Don't judge me.

She's not right. I can sense it. There's something bitter in her eyes, something cruel in her mouth. Her words are soft and light, but there's something dark lurking behind the good-girl face she puts on. I know it, she knows it, she knows I know it, I know she knows I know it, and she knows I know she knows I know it. And on a little more, probably. But anyways. I'm rambling.

She has them wrapped around her little finger, Velma and Shaggy and Scooby. And Fred. Fred worst of all. Because he knows it too, he knows that there's something going on with her. And still, he flirts with her as casually as he would with the girl next door. He's angry at me, I can tell. I don't know why. And I don't think I ever will. He likes me, I know, but if I get close to him, he'll hurt me too.

What I didn't tell the gang is that my father threatened to disown me. He wants me to go to college, get a good paying job, get married and have a house full of kids. A mansion full of them, and servants to look after them, and a tall, brown-haired lawyer as a husband, the type who will be smart and a good father and a good, though timid, kisser and polite to everyone and work Saturdays and go to church Sundays. I broke us up because otherwise, my father would disown me. And it was too painful, anyways, to be around him everyday and have my father's perfect husband drowned out by images of a blond detective, one who barely makes enough money to keep gas in his van, one who doesn't want kids, at least not in the near future, one who works when he feels like it and never has been to church in his life and kisses fast and passionately, in a way that makes your heart race like nothing else. Not that he's kissed me often. Only once, actually, after the prom our senior year... and I wasn't even his date.

I regret that decision more than any other. The reason I gave them for leaving wasn't a lie, I was bored, but they're my true family. And never again will I let any one else take them away from me. I would die for them. I would kill for them. And now, I'm going to have to do something even harder: tell Fred that he's wrong. Because I have a feeling that getting involved emotionally with Lena is the worst mistake he can make.

I head upstairs, but his room is empty. I smile slightly, noticing the sloppily made bed. Men are all the same. But then I see a picture on the night-stand. Feeling slightly guilty, I pick it up. It's a picture of us, all of us. Scooby and Shaggy and Velma all have real smiles on their faces, but Fred and I look the happiest. His arm is over my shoulder and I lean slightly into him, my body curving to fit his side. My eyes stinging slightly, I set it back down. I don't even remember when that was taken.

I find him at last... in Lena's room. I peer through the door, guilt settling back into my stomach.

"It'll be okay," Fred says. He wipes away her tears with her finger. They kneel so close together it makes bile rise up in my throat. She smiles up at him, all trust, as he says, "We'll catch the bad guys."

She rises and starts out, glancing me at she passes. Tears obscure her face and I can't tell if she scowls or smiles at me.

"What do you think you're playing at?" I demand, barging into her room. Fred is still on the floor, cleaning up glass. I still see them in my mind's eye, kneeling so close... "There's something wrong about her. You know it and I know it, so I don't know what you think you're playing at!"

He startles me, standing up to his full height. "You know what I think I'm doing? I think that I'm enjoying my time with someone who likes me, and appreciates me for who I am, not what I do!"

I have to pause for a minute, digesting his words. Then I almost have to laugh I feel so sick. Is that really what he thinks? I'm not like that... am I?

He starts to head out, but before I know what I'm doing, my hand is around his arm, pulling him back. I can't let him leave. I hate it so much when he's angry at me.

"Is that what you think I am?" I ask, and now I do laugh. I don't know what else to do. "Is that what you think I feel? That just shows how little you know about me!"

"Tell me, then," he whispers, bending in far too close. "Tell me how you do feel."

And I almost do. The words spring to my tongue, but I can't, not yet. Too much is behind us, between us, in front of us. And what if it tears us apart, the whole gang? I can't take being the one to break us up again. Our family as a whole is too important to me. Still, as I stare up into his eyes, it's so hard.

"I- I can't," I whisper, unable to look at him and unable to take my eyes off of him.

"Why?" he demands furiously. "You won't talk to me, yet you expect me to know everything about you! How can I do that, when you won't let me get close?"

"It's not you," I say. "Never you. It's me." Then I lose control and I'm sobbing and his arms are around me, pulling me close, and I lose all awareness, conscious only of his hands in my hair and his heart beating against my cheek. And I want to say those words so bad I can hardy stand it. I force them back down my throat, but they leave a bittersweet imprint in my mouth: _I love you._

When I next open my eyes, I'm in my own bed, though still in my clothes. I yawn, oblivious for a moment, then I remember last night and I jump out of bed. I must have cried myself to sleep on him. Embarrassing much? I look in the mirror and wince. My hair is mussed, my eyes are red, and my clothes are wrinkled.

Something on my bed catches my eye. I turn around to find the picture I had seen in his room, frameless. I turn it over and notice Fred's blocky writing on the back.

**Daph-**

**Sorry to leave you like this, but I figured that you might a want a little time alone. I'm sorry about last night. If you want to talk, let me know. Don't be mad. You're my best friend.**

**Fred**

**PS. Don't worry about your clothes or hair- you look beautiful.**

She had to smile at the last line. It was just like him to know exactly what she was thinking. But beautiful? Would he really use that word to describe her? Though she acted confident, she knew she was pretty insecure. But this note was thoughtful. Of course she wasn't angry at him. How could she be?

Tucking the note under her pillow, she started downstairs to find the others. But a warm feeling had settled in the pit of her stomach, and she had a feeling that it wasn't going away.

**Alright, me again. I suppose it's getting kinda AU... anyways, like I said, I was going to make it a three parter, but now I'm considering continuing. Let me know, won't you? Reviews make my day.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Alright, here we are again. Sorry for the long wait, I wanted to use dialouge in this chapter. I just never could find time to rewatch the end of Zombie Island, though, so unfortunately, this is rather lacking in the speech department. But read it anyways! It takes place at the end, as Lena and Simone are... erm... dissolving. I know it skips ahead, I'm sorry!**

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I drift through the air, bodiless. I can see the surrondings all around me, but I can't fully process them. For now, I don't need to. I let myself drift, aware of the pureness of my soul, and realize, for the first time in over a century, no monster is hiding inside me. I'm me again, only me. I would laugh if I had a mouth, laugh and scream and cry. No hunger consumes me, no fire smolders deep within. I am me, in my essence, as I am meant to be. I realize this, and I realize that I am dead. But if I'm dead, then how am I here? Not dead yet, then. Just dying. And I always wanted to see color when I died.

I force my vision back into place. I'm in a cave, a full moon hanging in the sky above me. Leaves drift over the opening in the ceiling painfully, painfully slow, and this can't be normal speed. I look down at where my body would be. Nothing but white smoke, twisting and curling over itself. I cam almost see figures in it, a cat and a human. But they intertwine, pull apart, and are lost. I smile, until I realize that this means Simone is dying, as well. My mistress. I failed her.

But now, she can't hurt anyone. I owed her everything, but then again, I hated her every with every once of my being. Is it really a such a tragedy, that a monster dies tonight? No. The real tragedy is that tonight, on this lonely little island, three people are going to die and no one will mourn them. Maybe they are monsters, but does anyone really deserve to be lost forever to the sands of time? I am to be one of the nameless, faceless, forgotten people. But then I see a pair of piercing blue eyes and know that I, at least, will be remembered.

I feel ashamed as I remember my huger for Fred, the piercing hunger tearing through my body and leaving my shaking. It drove all other thoughts out of my mind. All I could think about was his energy, bright and strong, slowly filling my body with life again... But now I'm free, and I feel no more terrible pangs of hunger wracking me. Now, all I fell is the raw, untamed emotion. Love? Maybe, maybe not. But whatever it is, I'm powerful.

Slowly, time is speeding up. And, for me, running out. More and more of my smoke is disappearing and I can feel myself disappearing as well. I always thought that I was a coward, that death would scare me. But now, I feel nothing but relief. Because even if I'm dead, I'm free.

I stare right at Fred, and for a moment, I wonder if he sees me. I'm almost gone now, so I memorize his face, wanting it to be the last thing that I see. But the golden hair disappears, and the mouth, and the nose. The cheekbones are gone, too. I'm left with his eyes. I fall into them, into the piercing blue. With a thrill, I realize that I am a heartbeat away from death.

Them I'm gone.

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**Okay, that got a little prosy. Sorry :-) Anyways, lots of fluff the next two chapters, promise!!! Now. Review. Pwease? Pwetty pwetty pwease? Because all my friends hate me (okay, not all of them. But a lot. Long story)? And reviews make me happy.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Dudes. SUPER sorry for the... what... couple month delay? But I'm back, thanks to Hayles45!!!! (I am expecting that chocolate bar :D) Fred's up now. And I just read this back and realized how OOC everyone is. So just bear with me. Thanks for reading! Love ya's!**

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The drive back was near silent. We're all in shock, honestly, unable to believe the events of the last several days.

"Night," Velma murmurs, climbing out of the van at her new bookshop. "Call me, okay, Freddy?"

"Will do," I answer, smiling at my old nickname. Scooby and Shaggy are next. They're staying at a cheap motel downtown.

"Like, that was more adventure than I ever want again," Shag said firmly, clambering out. Then he paused for a second. "But, man, call me, okay?"

"I will," I say, waving goodbye. Then it's just Daph and me. Reflexively, I start to drive towards her loft. I have a room downstairs in the building, and the film studio is only a few buildings down. The longer we drive without a word, the tighter my hands get on the steering wheel. I want to talk, but I have no idea what to say. Then she breaks the silence for me.

"I'm sorry about Lena," she said softly.

"Is that equivalent to an 'I told you so?'" I ask, upset.

"No. It's equivalent to an 'I'm sorry.' I know you liked her."

"That's an odd way to put it," I mutter. "Yes, I liked her."

"And..." She took a deep breath. "You were right. That night, in her room? When you were cleaning up the broken glass?"

"About which part?" I wonder, unable to keep the hope from my voice.

"All of it," she said, and I finally look over at her. She looks so small, slumped back against the seat, red hair splayed out over her shoulders, dress ragged and dirty. Her eyes glimmer with unshed tears. I pull off to the side and park the van. "I don't... I don't mean to be the way I am," she continues sadly. "Stuck up. Insufferable. I just... it's just... my father hates you all, you know? I don't know what to do, and I always seem to make the wrong decisions. I'm just tired of hurting."

I put my arm around her shoulder, drawing her close. She's shaking slightly. "It doesn't matter anymore," I say softly.

"It does," she disagrees. "I need you to know that no matter what I do, it's not your fault. It's mine."

I shake my head. "Daph, you're not stuck up, and you're not insufferable. Not everything that goes wrong is your fault."

"It is!" she exclaimed. "I broke us all up. Then I dragged us down to that awful place where we nearly all were killed. I hurt everyone I come into contact with!"

"No, Daphne," I whisper. "I know one person you haven't hurt."

"Who?" she asked bitterly.

"Me," I answer.

"Yeah," she scoffed. "I ignore, abuse you, misuse you... I treat you the worst of anyone. And I can't stop."

What does she in herself? A screw-up? A failure? The one who always gets lost, gets captured, gets trapped? The one who trips, who can't keep up? Worthless? I still see the beaming high schooler, so happy with life and everything around her.

"You act that way because you're afraid I'm going to hurt you," I say softly. "Because you've been hurt too often. But I live for you. You don't see that. That your laugh and smile are the best parts of my day."

"I can't," she said, shaking her head. "I just... I just... can't!"

"You can," I say firmly, tilting her head up so she's looking at me. "You can and you have to."

Her eyes overflow again. They're full of fear and sadness. I hate to see her like this, but it feels like this is how I always see her now. Sad or angry. I miss my Daph. What did this to her? And can I save her? The one thing I know beyond a doubt is that I have to try. Because without her, I will fade away.

"You don't understand," she whispers.

"No, you don't understand!" I exclaim, angry now.

"Then help me to!" she exclaims, echoing my own words from early.

"Alright," I say, squaring my jaw. "I will." Then I took her face in my hands and kissed her.

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**One more chap, then I'm done for real. Just a bunch of fluff. Marshmallow soft, for those of you who like that stuff. Please review!!!! Please!!!**


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